As gentle Spring grows late it begins to give ground to the early growls of a fiendishly hot Summer. Many of the birds that have delighted in a glorious and balmy season have now finished up nesting and are getting on with the serious business of educating their young, teaching them where to forage, what to eat and how to avoid predators.
Our bronzewing pigeons however seem to work to a different rhythm and are still constructing their nest and devoting a large part of every day to the delights of courting and spending time together. Their delightful soft hooting forms a constant backdrop to the garden and I often sit quietly immersing myself in their gentle ritual.
For this pastel painting I was allowed to lay on the ground only 3 metres away while the sincere couple went about their careful routine of rapid and soft hoots interspersed by stately dancing and wing displays.....something like a Medieval court dance with much bowing and circling....and great concern that the ritual is done correctly.
Yes bronze wings are common but you cannot take away their real beauty with a careless naming which does so little to describe the real glory of these birds